Anglo-Saxon Literature Beowulf

Old english Beowulf is likely the oldest written English work that is still preserved It was written down by priests in England between 800 and 1100 AD, although the story took place and was told hundreds of years before that time The story is essentially a Scandinavian (Viking) story; they would not have spoken English, the language it was eventually written in

consider The Saxons were norse pagans; they worshipped odin, thor, freya, etc The English priests who transcribed their story were Christian If Beowulf and his saxon warriors often make mention of god and the bible, what does this tell you about what happened during its transcription (and why)?

The story takes place around the time that the vikings (also known as “Saxons”) started raiding and moving into Angland (home of the “anglos”) This is why the English priests knew the story – the two cultures had merged into the anglo-Saxons They transcribed the story into old English, the oldest version of our current language (modern English

With a partner, try to locate words that seem familiar and make a rough translation of the old English text on the handout

Beowulf is technically a poem over 3,000 lines long It was told orally for hundreds of years before priests wrote it down Poems like this were told in Viking mead halls where entire towns would meet to feast and drink with their king and his warriors Mead is a strong alcoholic drink made from fermenting honey (basically letting it rot in liquid) it tastes terrible.

Anglo-saxon poems Written in alliterative verse – the first half of the line is linked to the second half of the line by similar initial sounds Hrothgar of holt made the horn. Basically, instead of rhyming everything, the poem is held together by alliteration, or repeating consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Contained caesuras These are heavy pauses that separate verses These are used to simulate the rhythm of natural speech (because the poems were meant to be performed aloud)

conventions Anglo-Saxons were fond of using riddles “I share a common fate with the sea, spinning the months around in alternate cycles. When the glory of my light-flowing form fades so, too, the sea loses its swollen flood tides.” “From the trunk of a willow and the scraped hide of a cow I am made. Suffering the fierce savagery of war I , with my own body, always save my bearer’s body unless death takes the man’s life. What fierce soldier endures such a fate or receives so many deadly wounds in war?”

Anglo-saxon poems make use of Kennings – these are mini-riddles used as poetic descriptions of everyday things. the sea turned to bone (ice) Shoulder-companion (close friend, right-hand man) Battle-shirt (armor) Complete the kennings worksheet with a partner

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The story Beowulf begins the story as a great warrior of the geats. He travels across the sea to help the king of the danes, whose fresh new mead hall is being decimated by a demon monster named Grendel. It is an epic poem because it follows a hero on a long journey, during which he fights supernatural monsters and performs heroic feats. The hero and his journey are significant to the culture or society from which they originated. *think the odyssey

Beowulf is therefore an epic hero An epic hero is defined as a character in an epic poem who is noble and brave and is affected by great events or admired for his achievements. They often have a fatal flaw that causes them problems or brings about their downfall.

Vocabulary each group define your words and give them to the other groups Group 1 – moor, spawn, cain, reparation, heathen Group 2 – affliction, mail (armor), smith, purge, linden Group 3 – shroud, wayland, threshold, infamous, taut Group 4 – sinew, pilgrimage, vain, boar, loathsome Group 5 – graybeard, dissolve, noble, rejoice, glorious